Messenger call box



March 5, 1929. G. w. JANsoN 1,704,389 i MESSENGER CALL BOX Filed Aug. 2o, 1926 l2 sheets-sheet 1 "M *wi/16 a 0 22 n 54 55. ,Je f7 5V 0j/ 2a 0 56| Ja l f7 March 5, 1929. w, JANSON 1,704,389

MES SENGER CALL BOX Filed Aug. 20, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

(SWK

Patented Mar. 5, 1929.

UNITED STATES Pili'fEllWl"` QFFICE..

GEORGE* 'WL JANSON, 0l' NfUTl'lET, NEW JERSEY, ASSGNOR TO' THE WESTERN TELEGBAPH COMPANY, 0Fv NEW YORK', N'. YS., A CORPOERHTION'GFNEW YORK.`

MESSENGER CALL BOX.

Application led August 20, 1926; Serial No `ERMES. l

This invention relates to messenger call boxes such as are employed 1n the well known Mc-Culloh call system, the boxes being of the general type disclosed in Patent 5 Number 1,164,069 grantedto A. A. Clokey,

December 1.4, 1915. u

This) type ofbox, which is now in gen-` eral use may be brieiiy described as having a base on which the Workingvniechanisni 1s mounted, three posts being provided at one end oi the base for the connection" ot two line Wires anda ground Wire. The Working;

mechanism is provided with a cover or casing` leaving the posts exposed. Y This arrangement ls'open to serious ob vjections since the exposed posts off-er con-l venient` pegs on which hang objectsloi variousA sorts,` such as ladie purses and the like. Naturally,` if the obyectfbe` ot such 2o nature that the part engaging the posts is of :conductive` naturel a short circuit is formed so that nosignal; can be sent from the boa.` Again, lannion-n` practice employs currents ofI quite high voltage so. that a if net` cangereus, is at least. unpleasant. Also the exposed position ofthese posts permits ci mischievous taniperingaby connect.- ngtwo of thel posts with a usure.`

present type oi dell. box in that the Shaft.

to which` the turning knob `is secured` isV gearedto. the spring and the knohl or leven eii'ect onthe breakfwheel. :Wilhelm.suchY nal pressure is exerted the rotation oi; the break Wheel is so speeded that 1t becomes iriipossilole-` to@` properly read the numbery called; `at the central station. `Many persons have ahelat oftlmwsneeding up the,

person touching two of the posts. at the sameY time is nite apt to receive` a Shock which,

Another objectionableieatnre exists n the1 being` fined on this` shaft permits nianual assistance being given the f spring 1n its` surface of the brealjwheel, w. stop pin which normally engages a stop segment whichA normally overlies the `break Wheel. This segment is carried? ou thes rin shaft or arbor in whichi the knob` or handle is fixed;

and is turned aside only when the spring isn tensioned` as the handle is rotated, moving back over the break Wheel upon release of the handle. In; orderto remove the break Wheel from the arbor, to which it; isv held by a set screw, itis necessary for the in stallation manl to hold the knobiin position with the spring woundl up with one while the other hand hasto performlallthe operations of unscrewin* the set screw, removing Athe break Whee placing the new Wheel on` its arbor,` adjusting its position and screwing up .its` set` Snevr.A Moreorerlmuclr care has tobe taken licensure the `stoppin properly cngagin "the stopsegment.

With these di culliiae in mindn the prin cipal objects` ofthe present invention in clude the provision of` an` im roued callib'nxwherein the construction o the base and" cover is suclrtliait` the connectingposts are huod beneath the couver while provision. is i f made for the applicanion of the i usual" test` ing` instruments; the provision of an operati,

ing; handle mounting: arranged to prevent manually` brealtv wheel :o eeatiive inoucinent. oi the spring arbor; ani im rovedstopi arrangement? but means of whio wheel may: be remouedi `and replaced Withouli winding thspriing andiwithout making nec# essary nicety` oil': adjustment of `the` irreale Wheelion its wher-..y i i i f 1hr the accom aing drawings wherein like characters o re erence aroused tlmaugliil out,...

F'guire l is` a plan View of the box with the cover: remoued; i i i i EigureQ; is a section onthe line 5w-2 of Figure 1;i` ff Fig-ure Sis a. bottonrplan of the boar;I

Figure 4 is a perspective View of the op#` erating mechanism detached from the hase;

F'gure 5` is a detail showing the4 spring arbor and associated parts:

Figure 6 is an enlarged'detail soctionolr i the line G-l`i` of Figure 1; i f

Figure 7 is a similar sectiononfthe line 7-7 of lligure 1. i

As` here shown there is provided a base 10 of the usuel elliptical shape, this base being molded from porcelain or other suitthe llO

able insulating material. On the tace of this base at the upper end there is provided a raised portion 11, and at the lower end a larger raised portion 12 so that a well 13 is lett between these portions wherein is seated the working mechanism indicated in general at lat. lnasinuch as this working mechanism is ci the general type now used, the specific details are not `necessary to be described and only those parts will be particularly referred to which enter into the present invention. At the sides oit the well there is provided a raised iiange 15, the end surfaces of the raised portions and the outer surfaces of these flanges forming, in plan, an ellipse on which itted the top or cover 16 which thus covers the entire base except for a narrow rim projecting evenly all around from beneath the cover. At the upper end of the base there is provided` on its under surface a small recess 17 from which extends a screww receiving passage 1S opening through the top ot the base. Through this passage entends screw 19 which projects through the base and carries a post 2O on which the top 0i the cover rests. At the lower end oit the base a much larger irregularly shaped recess 21 is formed in the underside and trom this recess also extends an opening receiving a screw 22 which projects like the screw 19 and, like it, carries a post 23 on which the top of the cover rests. These posts are pron vided with thread openings to receive screws 24 holding the cover removably in position. A binding screw 25 is screwed into the lower side of this post 23 for connection of the ground wire 26 so that the post not only holds the cover but `also acts as the ground post and perform the function of the eX-` posed ground postin the present torni of call box. The screw 22 is connected by a wire 27 with the grounding contact pen 2S of the mechanisnnthe wire passing through an opening 29 leading'A from the recess 21 to the well 13. At each side ot the post 23 an opening 30i extends downwardly through the raised end 12 to the recess 21. Positioned on the face oit the raised portion 12 is a pair of terminal plates 3l. having lingers 32 which extend into the recess 2l through the openings 30. These plates have the line wires 33 secured thereto by binding screws 34 and these wires and the ground wire 26 pass into a recess o5 formed in the lower part of the portion 12 and thence through an opening' 35 and downwardly through a slot 3G opening through the rear face of the base at the bottom thereo't. The lingers 32 have lead wires soldered to them and one wire 37 passes up through the opening 29 and connected tothe Contact pen 38. The other of these wires 39 leads to one ot' the frame screws l0, the lower end Of which projects into the recess 21. Thus, with the cover in place, the ground post 23 and terminals 3d are enclosed and inaccessible to tampering unless the cover be deliberately removed. A

ln order 'to provide testing contacts without removing the cover, the terminal plates 3l are held in position by screws ll, the heads olf which hold contact members 42. These contacts pass out ot the recess 21 through lateral openings and terminate in small channels Llll formed in the sides ol" the base. The contacts may thus be touched by testing' instrument terminals inserted in these channels but the contacts are so housed that they cannot be touched with a pcrsons lingers, lt will be seen in Ligure 'r that the recesses each have an .inner wall alined with a side wall o'l' the recess 21 so that no drilling or coi-ing is necessary to torni the opening Li3 and the base block can be molded in a simple two part mold. rlhus the terminals forthe line and ground wires are housed without intertering with the application ot' testing instruments.

rllhis invention., like those now in use, has a pawl and ratchet controlled spring arbor i5 but, unlike the present type, the operating handle is not mounted ydirectly onV this arbor. On the contrary there is mounted on the arbor 15 a sleeve 116 (see Fig. 5) having intermediate its ends a circumferentially extending arcuate slot 47 wherethrough extends a stop pin 4S secured to the arbor, limiting the winding movement ot the arbor by the usual engagement with a stop pin 49. The sleeve has a squared end 4G onwhich is mounted the operating handle or knob 50. A stop iinger 51 projects from this sleeve and limits its movement in unwinding direction by engagement with said pin 49. A torsion spring 52 surrounds the sleeve i6 and is securedV at its ends lto the pin 48 and finger 51 so that it tends to hold one end of the slots? against the pin 4:8 in readiness ii'or the winding operation. Vith this arrangement the spring arbor is rotated to wind the main spring in the ordinary man# ner but reverse or unwinding pressure on the operating handle simply rotates the sleeve freely on thearbor until the linger 51 engages the pin i9. The slot 47 is, of

course, made sutticiently longl to prevent the pin 48 being engaged by the remaining end ot the slot at any time.

In order to leave the break wheel 53 free :tor ready removal and replacement, the stop segment commonly overlapping said wheel is removed and a stop segment 54 is carried by a sleeve 55 pinned to the arbor 45 adjacent its rear end and thus behind the `traine plate 569 the break wheel being mounted on its arbor 57 in front of the frame plate 56. These two arbors are connected by the usual gear train and on a gear 58 of this train is mounted a stop pin 59 Whih engages the stop segment when the break Wheel has been rotated sufficiently to send a complete signal. The parts are thus arrested While the main spring is held under a slight tension.

With this arrangement, it is unnecessary to turn the spring arbor before'removing the break Wheel, as Was the case in the prior call boxes having the stop segment above the break wheel, and the latter maybe lifted oftl the arbor by simply loosening the set` screw 60, While all the parts are in their normal idle positions. Thus the installation or repair man can readily substitute a new break Wheel on an instrument. Also, accuracy of adjustment is unnecessary since it is only essential that the spring contact fingers shall engage the break wheel in advance of the rst notches usual in said Wheels, the position of the wheel in no Way affecting the time of engagement of the segment 54 and the pin 49.

.[he arrangement for the ready removal Vand replacement of the code Wheel is claimed in 1n divisional application Serial No. 278,514, filed May 17, 1928, and the ar` rangement for covering the terminals is claimed in my divisional application, Serial No. 278,515, filed May 17, 1928.

I claim: K

1. Ina messenger call box provided with the usual pawl and ratchet controlled spri arbor, a code Wheel shaft geared to sai arbor, a sleeve rotatably mounted on said y, arbor and having an operating handle or knob secured thereto, said sleeve having a circumferential slot substantially the length of the peripheral travel of the arbor, a pin projecting from the arbor through the slot, and means for stopping the backward `movement of the sleeve when therear end of the slot is at the initial position of said pin.

2. In a messenger call box provided with i the usual pawl andratchet controlled spring arbor, a code wheel shaft geared to Said arbor, a sleeve rotatably mounted on said-` arbor and having an operating handle or knob secured thereto, said sleeve having a circumferential slot substantially the length of the peripheral travel of` thearbor, a in projecting from the arbor through `the slbt, and spring means normally holding the sleeve in initial position so that said` pin y is positionedadjacent the rear endrof said s ot.

Intestimony whereof I aix m signature.

y GEORGE W. ANSON. 

